Danny Phantom: Fresh Start
by Maetch
Summary: In the wake of the Disasteroid Incident, Danny finds out that the fame of being a celebrity is not what he wanted in life. And with new revelations concerning his heroic actions, it may be more of a risk than it's worth.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first major attempt at the Danny Phantom world, so go easy.

This story takes place about a week after "Phantom Planet". The purpose of this fic is to correct Butch's biggest mistake, and set the stage for future DP fanfics of my own writing.

I don't own DP. Butch does.

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_**Danny Phantom: A Fresh Start**_

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"Look! There he is!"

"Huh?" came Danny Fenton's questionable gasp as he tried to pinpoint the source of the voice. A moment later, he found it, in the form of a bunch of screaming girls, ecstactic at seeing him. "Aw, not again!"

Before he knew it, he was running for his life as the mob of fangirls chased him down the streets of Amity Park, Illinois, in hopes of... well... whatever it was they wanted. Autographs, photographs... or maybe something more wild, like...

"Bear my children!" one girl screamed. Danny only shuddered at that one.

The chase continued for some time, until Danny suddenly tripped and fell onto the sidewalk. With a fearful glance, he saw the group bearing down on him. _Well, they know, so... _Danny shrugged as he stood up and issued a mental command to himself. A second later, a pair of white rings surrounded him and scanned his body vertically, transforming his very body. White hair replacing his raven-colored locks, a black-and-white jumpsuit with a well-known emblem on his chest. One would say he was a completely different person now. As the transformation finished, there stood Danny Phantom, in all his meta-human glory, just before he flew up into the air and away from the approaching mob.

As Danny looked back towards the street, he saw the crazed girls flashing their cameras like a bunch of paparazzis. With a salute, Danny flew off into the horizon, much to their disappointment. Finally free to himself, Danny began to ponder the recent turn of events that turned him into a international celebrity.

_Geez... you save the world from ONE asteroid, exposing your secret identity in the process, and everyone wants to be your biggest fan. _Danny groaned to himself. _And who can blame them?_

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_Clockwork's Tower, Ghost Zone..._

"...and that's how my mornings usually began." Danny finished explaining to the ever-wise Master of Time from within his domicile. Danny had arrived at the Tower about ten minutes ago in hopes of having a heart-to-heart talk. From his chair, Clockwork merely glanced at him as his form suddenly shifted to his "old man" appearence.

"So, I see you've become quite the celebrity." Clockwork quietly said. "But, of course, I see everything."

"Of course." Danny said in agreement before continuing. "Ever since that incident with the asteroid, I haven't gotten a moment's peace, especially now that they know who I am." He remembered what it was like before he became Danny Phantom. Back then, he was just seen as the skinny loser at high school. No guts, no muscle, and no respect. Then that altercation with that Ghost Portal changed everything.

On a dare from his close friends Tucker Foley and Sam Manson (the latter currently his now-official girlfriend), Danny found himself putting on a jumpsuit and exploring the innards of the "broken" portal, only to accidently turn it on and get blasted by the energies created by the portal as it activated. The next day, Danny realized the full extent of the incident, as he found himself phasing and turning invisible uncontrollably. It was about a month since then when Danny's high school was attacked by a ghost, one that seemed to bear resemblance to a cafeteria worker. Defeating the so-called "Lunch Lady Ghost" with his fledgling powers, Danny began to find a sense of purpose, using his new abilities to defend his town from more and more ghosts as they arrived.

Over the course of the next two years, Danny's reputation began to grow, as did his list of enemies. Skulker, a big-game ghost hunter in high-tech armor. Technus, a technopathic braggart with power over any and all technology. Ember McLane, the ghostly rock diva with a powerful guitar and a literally flaming mane of hair. Penelope Spectra, who could be summed up in two words: crazed sadist.

And then there was Vlad Masters, once the college chum of Danny's father Jack Fenton before he accidently got blasted in the face with a prototype Ghost Portal 20 years ago (which he blamed Jack for) and developed similiar powers to Danny's own. Having used his powers to get ahead in life and become a multi-millionaire, Vlad had both power and respect on his side, from both his human and his ghost employees. Vlad never hesitated to make Danny's life difficult, whether by convincing Danny to become his heir, stealing his mom Maddie from Jack out of a desire for her love, or becoming Mayor of Amity Park. Of course, despite the danger Vlad brought, Danny knew that there were others even worse than him, as evidenced by the sight of a heavily dented Fenton Thermos on the table in the next room over, its covering charred pitch black from burn marks. Danny only shuddered at the thought of knowing exactly _who_ was in that Thermos.

It was two weeks ago when a large asteroid laced with ectoplasmic materials first threatened to smash into Earth, as a result of Vlad meddling with a high-tech satellite orbiting around Saturn. The so-called "Disasteroid", cleverly named as such by the newspapers and TV, would have easily destroyed Earth. It took the combined effort of every ghost in the world to phase Earth completely, leaving the Disasteroid to pass through harmlessly.

More importantly, however, was the ditching of his secret identity. Vlad chose to reveal himself as "Public Ghost Enemy #1" in hopes of extorting the world to aid him in stopping the asteroid. Needless to say, Jack was not pleased to learn that Vlad was the ghost who continuously assaulted his family, and he left his ex-friend drifting aimlessly in deep space during an attempt on the Disasteroid gone wrong. It was clear that Vlad wasn't coming back anytime soon.

Danny, on the other hand, exposed _his_ secret identity for more noble reasons. And now, poor Danny was suffering the repercussions of being a worldwide celebrity. Statues of him adorned every corner of the world, no thanks to Danny's pal, "Mr. Mayor-for-a-Day" Tucker (thankfully, Tucker was quickly removed in favor of Vlad's predecessor, Mayor Ernesto Montez). Photographers and interviewers hounded him and his family throughout the day, hoping to get some kind of dirt on the young hero. And Danny, as he told earlier, was dogged by fans everywhere he went.

"People are always looking for someone to idolize, Danny." Clockwork explained as his formed changed again to its "child" appearence. "It's an undeniable fact in life. Movie stars, athletes, superheroes..."

"Yeah, but after what happened yesterday, I realized that I don't want this life anymore."

"The superheroics?"

"No. I wouldn't give that up for anything. I'm talking about the fame. I just want it to go back to the way it was."

"Really?" came Clockwork's reply as he returned to his "middle-age" form. "Care to explain?"

"I don't think I really need to explain it to you." Danny pointed out. "After all, you know everything."

"I do," Clockwork pointed out. "but _they_ don't." he finished with an odd glare. Danny only shrugged it off.

"Okay, it all started yesterday morning..."

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_Fenton Residence (FentonWorks), Yesterday Morning..._

_"It was a nice Friday morning. Sun shining, birds singing... up until the moment I had to wake up..."_

As Danny was tossing and turning in his sleep, a sudden shout jarred him awake.

"Danny!" came the yell of his older sister Jasmine, causing Danny to transform out of reflex.

"What? What, Jazz?" Danny asked as he looked around the room, ready to fight. "What's going on?"

"It's the Guys in White! They're at the front door and they're loaded for bear!"

"Oh snap." Danny grimaced. Even though Danny Phantom was a world-renowned hero, he was still a ghost, and thus a target for the U.S. Government's Ectoplasmic Defense Force, often referred to as the Guys in White (for their trademark white business uniforms). They had first heard of Danny when Vlad put out a bounty on his head, and they had been dogging him ever since as part of their mission to destroy all ghosts in the world (something that Danny utterly opposed, since, despite their name, ghosts were just as much living beings as humans were).

"Mom and Dad are trying to stall them downstairs. They wanted me to give you your lunch and see you off while they're distracted." Jazz continued

"Makes sense." Danny replied as he transformed back and then quickly got dressed. Once clothed, Danny grabbed his backpack and a bagged lunch that Jazz had brought up. Just as he was about to exit through the window, he turned to Jazz. "Tell mom and dad that I'll see them later."

"Will do. Be careful, Danny. I'll meet up with you at school."

"No problem." Jazz called back as Danny jumped out the window and floated down to the ground harmlessly. Soon, Danny Fenton was running down the street.

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_In the living room..._

"...And did I ever tell you about my Specter Speeder 2.0?" Jack Fenton proudly explained to his white-suited guests. Aside from skin color, they were completely identical in appearence.

"Yes, Mr. Fenton." the black-skinned agent groaned.

"You've told us three times already." the white-skinned agent added.

"Well, fourth time's the charm. Right honey?" Jack's wife Madeline said with a wink.

"Of course! Thanks Maddie." Jack grinned. "Anyway, it's a piece of work if I do say so myself. Precision control system. User-friendly interface. 44 oz. cup holders, which I'm especially proud of by the way..."

Maddie wasn't really listening, though. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jazz come down the stairs and wave. Maddie smiled back, knowing that Danny had escaped safely. She was just about to tell Jack when a shrill beeping sounded from the black agent's pocket. As the agent pulled it out, Maddie saw that it was an Ecto-Radar device, and it was locked on a moving target. The agent only looked at the Fentons in triumph.

"Clever tactic, trying to stall us." the black agent grinned. "But we've expected as much." Pulling a communicator out, the agent began speaking orders. "Attention, Team Epsilon. Target is on the move, identified as Daniel Fenton, alias Danny Phantom. Classified as Level 7 Ectoplasmic Entity. Begin Operation Chalk Trail. Priority One, over."

"Rest assured, Mrs. Fenton," the white agent replied with a smirk. "we won't hurt him... much."

It was a poor choice of words on the agent's part, as Maddie suddenly leaped off the couch and knocked him to the floor with a powerful roundhouse kick. Before the black agent could draw a weapon, Jack stood in front of him, his large frame intimidating the G-Man.

"Tell your superiors that you are _not_ gonna hurt my son!" Jack threatened. "If you want him, you'll have to go through us!"

"Uh... Actually, Mr. Fenton," the agent stuttered. "we're chasing him as we speak, so we don't have to go through you." With that, the agent picked up his partner and ran for the front door. Maddie only turned to Jazz and frowned.

"Jazz, you'd best get to school. I've a feeling that Danny's gonna need some help." Jazz only nodded as she ran out the back door in the kitchen.

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_On the road..._

As Danny Phantom was flying down the street, a battalion of armored GiW agents were on his tail, their jetpacks allowing them to keep pace easily. "Man, they sure are quick to catch up!" Danny noted as he turned a corner into an alley. The agents turned to follow, only to crash into a wall of ice like bugs to a windshield. Nearby, Danny hovered in place, his palms glowing an icy blue.

"Listen, I've got school, so why don't you just..." Danny paused before shaking his head. "Nah, too cliche." he griped before using a few Frost Beams to freeze the armored agents to the ice wall. "That ice will melt in about an hour, two at most. Plenty of time to think about this." With a nod, Danny flew away, leaving the agents stuck.

_Whew... Close one._ Danny thought. _But since they know who I am, they'll just keep coming. What I wouldn't give for an escape route._ His prayers were answered as Jazz pulled up nearby in her own car.

"Hop in!" Jazz offered. Danny complied, and soon, the two of them were riding down the street. Surprisingly, no more agents attacked them along the way.

However, unbeknowest to either of the Fenton siblings, a small, cube-like object was silently following them, watching Danny intently. As Danny looked up, the cube suddenly flew away, avoiding his attention.

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_Casper High..._

As Jazz's car parked in the student parking lot, Danny hopped out and ran for the front doors, only to get mobbed by a pack of impatient students.

"Oh, come on, folks." Danny griped as the noisy crowd surrounded him. "I've gotta get to class." But the mob wasn't able to hear him over their collective voices. With a sigh, Danny turned himself intangible and easily walked through the students' bodies, though this did nothing to keep them from following him inside.

"All right, students!" shouted Vice-Principal Mr. Lancer over his megaphone. "Break it up now! Superhero or no, Fenton needs his education!" With a moan, the mob dispersed, leaving Danny to walk over to his locker. Nearby, Sam and Tucker stood to greet him.

"Hey, guys!" Danny greeted. Tucker grinned, but Sam only glared.

"That's it? Just 'Hey, guys'? No 'Hello, my lover' or some kind of mush?" Sam sarcastically replied.

"You really want me to say that?"

"Hell, no!" After a moment, the two of them laughed.

"All right, you lovebirds..." Tucker cut in.

"We're not..." the young couple started to shout out of habit, only to pause at the realization that they actually _were_ lovebirds now.

"Gotcha!" Tucker laughed as his best friends blushed at each other. "Anyway, we've got class, and you know how Mr. Lancer gets over tardies." Soon, the three longtime friends were making their way down the hall, only to pause at the sight of local jock Dash Baxter enjoying his favorite pastime: Nerd wrangling.

"C'mon, dweebo!" Dash taunted as the nerd in his hand made a futile attempt to throw a punch at him. "Izzat all ya got?" Danny only growled as he silently walked over to the bully.

"Leave him alone, Dash." Danny spoke, causing Dash to look up from his task at hand.

"Whaddya want, loser?" Dash flippantly said before turning around and sseing his addressor, upon which he began to sweat. "Uh... Hey Fentweeb... I-I mean Fenton. Just, uh... um..." At a loss for words, Dash merely put the nerd down to the ground and let him run off. "Sorry!" Dash yelled as he ran off as well.

"All right, Danny!" Tucker exclaimed. "Way to show off your respect, pal!"

"I gotta admit, Danny," Sam added. "you really do get your point across."

"Yeah, well..." Danny shrugged. "It's no big deal, really."

"No big deal?" Tucker shouted. "Danny, you're the biggest name in school since... well... Dash Baxter!"

"Not that I asked to be." Danny merely muttered as he walked off alone to class, leaving Sam and Tucker alone.

"What's with him?" Tucker asked absently. Sam only sighed. She had no answer.


	2. Chapter 2

Notes:

Geez... The last DP fic I wrote didn't even get a single review. Then again, it was a one-shot song parody. It's called "Ignorance is Bliss", if you're curious.

To those who reviewed, thanks. It lets me know that I'm being heard.

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_Lancer's English Class, Casper High..._

Seated in Mr. Lancer's English classroom, the teacher was busily calling roll.

"Fenton, here. Foley, here. Garbonz, here. Gray..." Mr. Lancer paused as he looked around the classroom. "Gray, Valerie?" Shaking his head, Mr. Lancer marked her down as absent as he muttered to himself. "Hm. Four complete absences this week, going on five. I'll have to speak with her father about that."

As Mr. Lancer continued, Danny thought about Valerie, his ghost hunting rival. Having been provided hunting equipment and a combat suit from Vlad, Valerie was more than an equal for his skills, especially after an altercation with Technus greatly enhanced her suit's power. The only problem was her grudge for Danny Phantom, despite a one-time crush for his alter-ego, which often led to fights between them. Strangely, ever since the Disasteroid Incident, she hadn't been seen by anyone in town at all.

"Aren't you worried about her?" Tucker whispered to Danny. "I mean, she does still want to cream you."

"Tuck, relax" Danny explained. "Her and I are on a truce. I stay out of her way, she stays out of mine. It's called mutual respect." Tucker only shrugged as they turned to the front of the class. Soon, Mr. Lancer had started his lecture, one that seemed to go on for hours. _Man, he should be an interrogator._ Danny thought as Mr. Lancer spoke in his eerily calm voice. _Anyone would crack under his way with words. _

Looking to break out of the doldrum, Danny glanced at Sam a few rows over. Sam returned the glance and blew a kiss at him, much to Danny's delight. _Who would have thought that her and I would actually get together? _Danny grinned dreamily. _We should've done it sooner. Believe me, all the fake-out-make-outs in the world can't compare to the real deal._

However, Danny wasn't the only one gazing, as over half the female student body in the class were, in turn, staring at _him_, not the least of which being a certain Latino bombshell by the name of Paulina. Turning to one side, Danny spotted Paulina making a flirtatious gesture at him. Danny, however, was not the least bit impressed.

_I wonder what I ever saw in her?_ Danny thought to himself. _Sure she's cute and popular, but was it really me interested in her, or was it just the hormones? Besides, at least Sam respects me, no matter what form I'm in._ With a sigh, Danny turned his attention back to his book, unaware of another floating cube watching him from the classroom window.

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_Casper High Gym, Lunch time..._

_"With my popularity, it was hard to avoid getting mobbed in the lunchroom, so I usually snuck out to the gym for some alone time during lunch. And who should show up but..."_

"Hi, Danny!"

"Ack!" Danny panicked at the voice behind him, which he recognized as Jazz's. "That's the second time today I made the world-famous Danny Phantom jump." she said with a giggle.

"What are you doing here?" Danny asked. Turning around, he saw a most unusual sight: his sister sitting behind some kind of cardboard table. Above the table, a large sign read:

PSYCHIACTRIC HELP: 5 CENTS! THE DOCTOR IS IN!

"What the hell?" Danny asked.

"You like it? I pulled this out of the trash from last year's student rendition of 'Peanuts'." Jazz explained. Even after nearly 70 years since his death, the legacy of Charles Schultz lived on. "But seriously, I heard about your outburst earlier and I figured you could use some help."

"Really?" Danny asked skeptically. "And exactly what can you help me with? The fact that I'm getting mobbed everywhere I go, no matter whether I'm Fenton or Phantom? Knowing that such information has made me and everyone I know a target for ghosts and ghost haters alike? Honestly, throw me a bone here."

"It's simple, really." Jazz replied. "The thing is, you're not used to fame like this."

"How so?"

"Well..." Jazz paused as she looked around. Noticing a nearby ladder in the corner, Jazz turned Danny's attention to it. "Let's say that ladder represents your level of popularity. Before and even after you got your powers, you were sitting comfortably on the bottom rung. Nice, peaceful, can't say much for your respect, but at least you were used to it. Once your alter-ego fell into the equation, however..." Jazz pointed at the next rung up. "you started to climb that ladder, slowly but surely. As you went higher, you began to become more acclimated to the height that you, as Phantom, had. Of course, whenever you needed a break, you could just change back and, BOOM! Back to the bottom."

"This helps me how?" Danny asked.

"I'm not finished." Jazz snapped. "When you saved the world from that asteroid, exposing yourself in the process, both your personas shot up to the top rung. This, however, is your problem. You had to climb too fast, and now the height is starting to get to you. Getting all light-headed and such. Not to mention all the high-flying planes, i.e. your enemies, that's threatening to hit you in the head. The point is, you've been at the bottom rung for so long that the sudden height increase is overwhelming you."

"Well... that makes sense." Danny mumbled. "But how can I climb back down again?"

"Well, unless you're willing to pursue a criminal career, chances are you're gonna have to learn to put up with this. Given time, you'll adjust to the height. It just takes longer because you skipped ahead to the top instead of climbing up rung by rung, allowing you to adjust slowly instead of all at once."

"So, basically, I just have to learn to live with it. Easy for you to say." Jazz merely put a hand to her brother's arm.

"I know it's tough," Jazz consolingly spoke. "but you can do it. I've always believed you could, ever since Spectra first showed up."

That was a painful memory for both of the Fenton siblings. Out of her sadistic desires, Penelope Spectra had passed herself off as a student counselor to the school. Excelling in inflicting psychological torture upon her victims (as well as physical), the student body was nothing but putty in her palms. Danny was barely able to beat her then, and even today Spectra was still one of his most difficult opponents. During that little incident, Jazz learned of her brother's secret, although she chose not to disclose the information at first, figuring that he'd spill when he was ready. She was eventually forced to come clean after a certain incident concerning time travel and a crazy wannabe Phantom from the far future. Since then, Jazz had always been someone Danny could talk to when he was having problems, whether it was ghost-related or merely being a talk on the natural follies of life.

"Jazz..." Danny spoke. "Thanks."

"No problem, brother." Jazz smiled as Danny walked away, only for her to bang a soup can on the cardboard table. "Hey! Get back here!"

"What?"

"You forgot to pay." Jazz explained. "Five dollars, please."

"But the sign says five cents." Danny pointed out.

"Sorry, Danny, but five cents doesn't go as far as it used to. Besides, I kinda need lunch money." With a moan, Danny reached into his pocket and gave Jazz a five-dollar bill. "Much obliged. And I'll see you later after school. Be careful, okay?"

"I will!" Danny called back as he left the gym.

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_Final bell..._

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Soon, the final bell rang, releasing its captive students. However, instead of running out the front door, they instead crowded around Danny, screaming in glee at meeting their hero in the flesh.

"Danny, Danny! Right here!"

"Gimme an autograph!"

"Are you dating? Want to be?"

"Bear my children!"

Raising an eyebrow at that last one, Danny, at first, tried to phase out of the mob. However, the sudden sound of a voice on the intercom stopped him.

"Attention, students and faculty of Casper High School!" came the voice of Principal Ishiyama. "I have an announcement to make. Mayor Montez has declared that the Phantom Phestival is a-go! Starting at five tomorrow, the week-long event will be open to the public to celebrate our greatest hero, Amity Park's very own Danny Phantom, or Danny Fenton if you prefer. With rides, games, and appearences from you-know-who, it's fun for all and all for fun, as well as a considerable boost to the city coffers and our payroll, but that's besides the point. The point is, don't miss the Phantom Phestival. That is all."

At this news, the mob screamed in a tone that would have shattered glass. All Danny could do was moan. Ever since his reinstatement, Mayor Montez had been setting up that so-called "Phantom Phestival" (which was how it was spelled in the promotional flyers) in hopes of making a good impression on his citizens/registered voters. Montez meant well, but his ego often clouded his better judgement. As Danny laid there on his desk, unable to even move, the crowd began to pester him more and more, to the point where Danny could no longer discern any single voice out of the group. Eventually, poor Danny snapped.

"ENOUGH!!!" Danny shouted over the crowd, though restrained enough so that he literally didn't blow them away (that Ghostly Wail attack of his packed some punch, and he didn't want anyone getting hurt over it). Climbing up on top of his desk, Danny began to rant. "Listen, I am sick and tired of all of you crowding over me like seagulls! What does it take to get you to lay off, anyway?" After a moment of silence and an awkward cough, a single voice piped in.

"A live show."

"All right, that's a start." Danny replied. "You do realize that I'll be showing up at the Phestival, right?"

"That's a day away. We want something now." Soon, the entire crowd was chanting repeatedly. "We want something now! We want something now!"

"All right, now!" Danny cut them off. "Tell you what. Gather around the Nasty Burger in an hour. You'll get your show. However, in exchange, I ask that, during school hours, you lay off on the crowding and give me my space. Okay?" The crowd nodded in agreement. "Good. Tell everyone you meet what I said here, 'cause I want to ensure that everyone knows about this."

"Leave that to me, Mr. Phantom." Mr. Lancer suddenly cut in, grinning. "I'll see to it that you get your space." Danny only looked at him confused. "Come now, Daniel. I want these crowds to stop as much as you do. I'll tell Ishiyama about this, okay?"

"Thanks... I think." Danny replied as he climbed off his desk and left the room, Sam and Tucker following, leaving a stunned group of students behind him.

No one, however, noticed the floating cube watching from the other side of the window as it flew away to its owner, a black-and-red suited figure standing on a nearby rooftop.

"Perfect." the figure spoke as the cube relayed the information.


	3. Chapter 3

Notes:

Yes, I tend to elaborate on events that we're all familiar with. However, I'm sure that not every reader of these stories is as familiar with the show as we are, so deal with it.

Spidey 3 was a big influence on this chapter, so don't be surprised.

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_Back in the Present Day..._

"I don't consider myself as an exhibitionist." Danny explained to Clockwork (in child form). "However, I just wanted them to leave me alone so I can actually work on reaching graduation."

"Which, by the way, is going to be a quite interesting incident for you." the Time Ghost spoke, much to Danny's confusion.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll see." Clockwork said with a smirk as he shifted to middle-age. "But please, continue."

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_Later that afternoon, at the Nasty Burger..._

As the crowd mobbed the front area of the Nasty Burger, Amity Park's number-one burger joint, Danny sat quietly on the roof. Nearby, Sam, Tucker, and Jazz stood patiently.

"So, Danny." Sam began. "In just less than two minutes, you'll be showing yourself off for every obsessed nut in school. How do you feel?"

"Nervous." Danny said. "I'm sweating like a muskrat. I mean, what if something goes wrong out there? People could get hurt." Jazz smiled as she spoke.

"Well, then you'll just have to protect them like usual."

"Yeah!" Tucker cheerfully added. "You've done a good job these past two years. No need to worry about that now. If anyone picks a fight with you, you'll win without a doubt." With a sigh, Danny stood up and turned to his friends and sister.

"What would I do without you guys?" Danny grinned. Sam suddenly came up to him and pulled him into a hug.

"Who cares about that? Just go out there and make them proud." Sam spoke. Breaking off the hug, Danny marched over to the edge of the roof and transformed. Less than a second later, Danny Phantom was standing astride atop the roof. As Danny's pals looked on, they failed to notice the floating cube nearby as it flew away.

Down below, the chatty crowd suddenly fell silent as they saw their idol suddenly jump off the roof and pull into flight. With a grin, Danny pulled up into the air and began to soar in a series of loops and twists, leading the audience to exclaim a gasp. Danny continued this air show for about a minute until someone shouted, "Pick it up, pal!"

"You want me to pick it up?" Danny yelled back. "Here you go!" Flying higher into the air, Danny charged his palms up with energy and began to fire a series of Ecto-Beams into the air. As each shot collided with each other, they exploded in a burst of green fireworks.

The crowd was now genuinely impressed. But Danny didn't stop there. He then switched over to his Frost Beam and created a large chunk of ice within his hands, about the size of a small boulder. As Danny threw the boulder into the air, the crowd looked in awe as to what would happen next.

What happened was beyond impressive, as Danny suddenly created a Soul Body (a weaker image of himself, and a tactic that took two years for Danny to learn how to do) and launched both the Soul Body and himself at the boulder, where they both collided with it and shattered the ice into a million pieces. As a single Danny hovered in triumph, having reabsorbed the Soul Body, the crowd below was cheering as small pieces of ice showered them from above. The show got the desired result, as the audience was now ecstatic, chanting out, "More! More! More!"

Danny only looked at them with a smirk. "You want more?" The crowd shouted a yes. "Well, come to the Phestival, and you'll get more!" The captive audience moaned, but they continued to cheer their hero on. Danny was just about to fly away when a large object suddenly slammed into him, pushing him away from the Nasty Burger and into the air.

As Danny tried to regain his bearings, the object that was pushing him suddenly began to spin and turn through the air, trying to twist Danny around in hopes that the force would tear him apart. Eventually, Danny managed to fire off an Ecto-Beam at the object. The beam only made the object attack with a rocket in his face, sending Danny crashing into the side of a building.

His head spinning, Danny peeled himself off the wall and refocused his vision. After a moment, Danny saw the object more clearly as it hovered directly in front of him. It appeared to be some kind of high-tech hoverboard, black and red. _Uh-oh! I know that board anywhere._ However, what really made Danny sweat was the armored figure standing on top of the board, in similiarly colored armor. Suddenly, the figure removed its helmet, revealing a very familiar face.

"You knew this was coming, Fenton!!!" shouted Valerie Gray, with pure hatred in her voice.

"Valerie!" Danny shouted at the sight of the armored Ghost Hunter hovering in front of him. Down below, the crowd from the Nasty Burger looked on in awe. "Listen, if this is about Axion and what happened back then..."

"Forget Axion!" Valerie snapped. "I've long forgotten about that. To me, that's ancient history."

"So, what gives? Why now?"

"Whaddya think, heart breaker?" Valerie shouted as she swung her fist at the wall. Danny barely managed to dodge as the fist left a sizable dent in the wall.

"What are you talking about?" Danny replied.

"You know as well as I do, you jerk!" Valerie swore in a hateful tone. "Destroying dad's job and putting us in dire straits is one thing, but playing with my heart like you did?! I'll kill you for that!!!"

"Your... heart?" Danny now understood what she meant. About last year, Danny Fenton had tried to win over Valerie's heart due to a fledgling crush on her. Granted, it was mostly part of Technus's plan to distract Danny while he tried to hack into Axion Labs's new experimental satellite, but there was still feelings shared between the two of them. However, it was broken off when Valerie realized that her alter-ego was a risk to any sort of relationship, despite not even knowing Danny's. It was during the incident that Technus also enhanced Valerie's Hunter's Armor, the original having been provided by Vlad so that he could collect combat data on Danny, as well as keep him on his toes.

"You think that I, as Fenton, had faked my feelings with you just so I could add insult to your injury?" Danny theorized. "Listen, you know as well as I do that we were being played for saps back then!"

"Maybe so, but you still insulted me!" Valerie shouted back. "Retribution must be paid... with INTEREST!!!" Bringing her palm to bear, Valerie launched a small laser beam from her wrist, which she tried to zap Danny with as he flew up the side of the building. Being quite mobile, Danny evaded the beam before diving straight at Valerie and socking her with a punch to the jaw.

"Lucky for you, I pull my punches!" Danny called out as he flew away. Putting her helmet back on, Valerie revved up her board and began pursuit. Soon, Danny and Valerie were zooming all throughout town.

--------------------

_Present Day..._

"They say that there's no fury like a woman scorned... Whoever said that probably wasn't thinking about Valerie Gray at the time." Danny explained. "So there we were, dodging and weaving around each others attacks. To the spectators, it was a sight to behold. They thought it was all part of the show. Can you say 'confused'?" Over in his chair, Old Man Clockwork couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well, it was a fight worthy of a climatic movie battle." Clockwork smirked. "Either that or an action-packed cartoon." He added with a odd gaze.

"Anyway, I didn't want to hurt her, but I knew that if I didn't do something about her..." Danny, however, shuddered at the memory of what came next.

--------------------

_Back to Yesterday Afternoon..._

Danny was flying nonstop down the street as Valerie pursued him relentlessly, firing lasers and rockets all the way. Looking down, Danny grimaced as he saw the collateral damage from Valerie's attacks, as pedestrians barely managed to evade incoming rubble and debris. _Geez... she's doing more damage to the city than she is to me._

Having turned a corner into an alleyway, Danny phased into the wall and inside the adjacent building. Nearby, Valerie scowled from behind her helmet. Inside the empty building, Danny breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whew... It'll take Valerie some time to catch up to me through this building." With that, Danny quickly flew through the hallways, only to smash into... Valerie?! "Huh? How'd you get in so fast?" Valerie responded by grabbing Danny and throwing him through a nearby window, smashing back outside into the alley. Looking up, Danny saw Valerie as she herself phased through the wall to outside, hoverboard and all.

_Aw man... I didn't think her suit could do that._ Danny thought. _Then again, the Guys in White have phase suits, so I guess... Whoa!_ Danny's thought were cut off as Valerie flew for him again. As Danny flew away, Valerie mentally triggered a trio of remote-controlled cubes to appear, the same ones that Valerie had used to spy on Danny earlier throughout the whole week. "Hate those things." Danny muttered as the cubes began to chase him, firing off criss-crossing lasers all along the way. As Danny did his best to evade the remotes, Valerie simply hovered in place on her board, watching intently.

"Yeah, sure. This is a spectacle worth watching, isn't it?" Danny taunted. "Well, you'd better watch out, 'cause here I come." Danny then created a Soul Body and launched it away down the street, leaving the cubes to follow for a moment before realizing that it was a fake. Taking advantage of the distraction, Danny turned tail and began flying straight for Valerie, just as the cubes turned around and began firing at the both of them. _She's looking twitchy, seeing as how her own weapons are attacking her._ Indeed, Valerie had a look of panic on her face, though not easily visible through the tinted visor.

Suddenly, just before Danny made impact, Valerie's face turned to a grin, just as she countered with a powerful punch. She had anticipated such a move and had feigned fear to catch him off guard. As Danny fell, Valerie launched an Ectoranium cable at him, which lassoed around his waist and shocked him greatly. Before he knew it, Valerie had flown away, with Danny dangling behind her as the cable held him to her board.

"Ya see, Danny?" Valerie shouted at him from above. "I know all about you. Your powers, your trickery, your very identity." Retracting the cable and pulling Danny towards her, Valerie grabbed him and held him up by his collar. "I could've killed you anytime, but instead, I watched and waited. You wanna know why I chose here and now? Simple. Because I want everyone to see exactly what kind of backstabbing menace you really are!"

"Doesn't the fact that I'm human mean _anything_ to you?" Danny growled painfully. "You spared Danielle because of that little fact, if I recall. So why not me?" He remembered Danielle, yet another testament as to how low Vlad was willing to go just to get what he wanted, including cloning Danny. Female and unusually intelligent for a so-called "failed specimen", Dani was once hunted by Valerie under orders from Vlad, but was spared when Danny pointed out to Valerie that she was human. Currently, Dani wasn't in town, for she was traveling the country in hopes of becoming her own superheroine, as opposed to riding Danny's coattails.

"She was different. She's innocent, free, not a heartbreaking wench like you!" Valerie angrily growled. "As to Vlad, I'd gladly blow his head off for manipulating me, given half a chance. But if I had known about you earlier, before you broke my heart, I would have considered. But now, I've got no mercy left for you!" With that, she brought her palm to bear and began to charge energy into the glove, with the intent to blow Danny's head off. With no other option, Danny found himself forced to resort to extremes.

_I don't want to do this, but... _With a deep breath, Danny suddenly began to scream at the top of his lungs, creating a powerful ectoplasmic sound wave from his mouth. As the Ghostly Wail sounded out, Valerie found herself struggling to maintain her focus as the force of the wave, made even more forceful due to her close proximity, began to short out her armor and crack her helmet. Eventually, Valerie was unable to take it anymore, releasing Danny as she was sent flying back into the alleyway. His strength depleted from the Ghostly Wail, Danny, having transformed back to normal, wound up falling to the ground, smashing into a power line and tearing it off the pole in a shower of sparks before impacting on the sidewalk. There laid Danny, bruised, burned, his power depleted, and unable to get up.

_Dead... _Danny thought. _I'm dead... About to be, anyway... I wonder where I'll go afterwards? The Ghost Zone? Heaven? Hell? No! I can survive this. I've survived worse. I can..._ Danny's hopes were dashed as Valerie suddenly walked over to him, her suit damaged and cracked in many areas, her helmet's visor shattered. In one arm, she held her hoverboard, too damaged to fly. In the other, a powerful plasma cannon. Her face was one of pure insanity.

"It's... It's time to die!!" Valerie shouted as she aimed her cannon at Danny's head. As Danny winced in preparation for the killing blow, Valerie suddenly shouted as a large smash sounded from behind her. Barely able to lift his head, Danny saw that a large crowd had gathered nearby and was pelting Valerie with whatever they could throw at her, shouting insults at her all the way. Danny could barely make out some of the colorful insults being said to her.

"Leave him alone, ya crazy bee-yotch..."

"He saved us every time, and you're gonna kill him for it?"

"Geez, you're pathetic, tryin' to kill him just for your own ego!"

"No respect for property. At least HE doesn't try to destroy the town!"

"You're worse than all the ghosts in this town put together!"

"He's no menace, YOU are!"

As the insults and projectiles continued to hit Valerie, something came over her. Being snubbed, insulted, attacked, just because she was trying to destroy (who she believed) was the true menace to the city, something in her mind simply snapped. With a yell, Valerie turned around and aimed her cannon at the crowd, much to everyone's fear.

"Stand back, or I'll kill ya all!!" Valerie yelled insanely. "I swear, I'll do it!!"

Behind her, Danny's expression was one of true fear. _My god, she's actually gonna do it!_ Danny had faced enough nutcases in his two-year career, both ghost and human, to recognize bluffing, and he knew for a fact that, this time, Valerie was _not_ bluffing. At this point, she was too lost in her own delusions to realize what she was doing. With a wince, Danny tried to transform, fire an Ecto-Beam, kick her, anything, but to no avail. Noticing the still-sparking power line nearby, Danny whispered a silent prayer as he used the last of his strength to grab the electrified cord and jam it into Valerie's back.

The next event was something that Danny would never forget, no matter how hard he tried, as the electricity flowed through Valerie's armor and fried every last circuit in its system. Both Danny and Valerie were yelling in pain as the electricity shocked them to the bone. After several agonizing seconds, the pain stopped as Danny and Valerie collapsed to the ground. Valerie's armor was gone, having been completely disintigrated from the electrical overload, and her and Danny's civilian clothes were in tatters. As Danny slipped into unconsciousness, a single thought passed over him.

_Val... I didn't mean to..._


	4. Chapter 4

Notes:

Relax, Valerie's not dead, though she's not gonna be doing any hunting after this. Also, I understand Val acted a little OOC back there, and I intend to explain that little part here.

--------------------

_That evening, at Amity Hospital..._

Outside the Emergency Room, Danny sat silently, still hurting as to what he had just done. The electrical burns were nothing to him, for he had healed from them within an hour. However, accelerated healing rates did nothing to heal the mental pain of having possibly killed someone. A few seats down, Jack, Maddie, and Jazz looked at him sadly, unsure as to either yell at him or start crying over him. Across the room, Danny saw Valerie's father, Damon, glaring angrily at him. Danny shuddered at him every time he had looked up.

_Geez... I guess the Grays and I are like oil and water._ Danny thought. _Or matter and anti-matter._ His thoughts were interrupted as a medical doctor walked out of the room. Damon was the first to get up.

"Well?" Damon asked.

"She's got some severe burns, but otherwise she's stable." The doctor replied with a smile. "Being in such peak physical condition, she's expected to make a full recovery. In fact, she's already conscious." The doctor was just about to walk away when he turned back around. "Also, she wants to speak to you, Mr. Fenton."

"Me?" Danny asked. The doctor nodded, and soon the two of them were walking through the halls and into Valerie's room, where she was lying on the bed, her body swarthed in bandages. The doctor quietly left the room and closed the door as Valerie looked up at Danny, with a gaze of sadness.

"D... Danny?" she barely stuttered.

"Val... I'm sorry." Danny tried to apologize. "I didn't mean to..." Valerie only shook her head.

"No, Danny. You've got nothing to be sorry about." she quietly spoke. "In fact, I should be thanking you.

"For what? Nearly killing you?"

"If you hadn't stopped me... " Valerie winced at the thought. "Oh, god... To think I was actually going to kill them."

"It's okay, Val." Danny consolingly said. "You're still woozy from the shock. You're probably not thinking clearly."

"No, Danny. For the first time in two years I am thinking clearly." she groaned. "It seemed like the moment I first got that suit, my mind was lost in a haze. Like I wasn't fully aware of myself. Ever since, the only thing I ever thought of was killing you. Like an animal, I hunted you for two years, just so some crazy fruit loop could have you killed."

"I... don't understand."

"When I was about to shoot at those people, I... I was screaming in the back of my head. Trying to keep myself from pulling that trigger. It was as if I wasn't even in control of my own body, like something else was controlling me from within that suit." At that, Danny looked confused. However, on a hunch, he asked a question.

"Did it feel like... like being overshadowed?"

"Actually, yes." Valerie answered.

"And how long had it been going on?"

"Since Axion, when that suit first arrived. Ever since that Technus guy improved it, its influence was stronger than ever. If you hadn't stopped me..."

"Say no more." Danny cut in. "I'm just glad you're all right." Valerie let out a weak chuckle at that.

"Gotta admit, you're still cute." she grinned. "Sam's lucky to have a guy like you." Danny was just about to speak when the doctor reappeared. Danny knew it was time to leave as he began to walk out.

"Just a moment." Valerie suddenly spoke. "Danny!"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry... for everything." Danny only looked at her with an odd grin.

"If my hunch is right, then you've got nothing to be sorry about, either." he plainly said as he left the room. Valerie only stared in confusion as to what he meant.

--------------------

_Later..._

Feeling somewhat better, Danny sat in his chair as the doctor led Damon out of the hallway, having finished talking to Valerie and hearing her plight. With a stern gaze, he looked down at Danny.

"I can't say I'm not grateful for what happened." Damon growled. "But for your sake, you'd better pray we never cross paths again."

"Yessir." Danny shamefully spoke as Damon walked out of the room and to his car. After a moment, Jazz came up to him.

"What's wrong, Danny?" Before Danny could respond, the doors suddenly barged open with reporters and interviewers, and they all wanted a word with Danny about what happened. Desiring to get some space between him and the mob, Danny quickly turned invisible and disappeared out of the room, leaving Jazz and her parents to fend them off.

Had he stayed a bit longer, his Ghost Sense would have went off, as a red-headed woman secretly watched him with a sneer. Turning her head, she eyed the remaining three Fentons, a murderous gleam in her eyes.

--------------------

_Back on the street..._

_"Valerie's words about her possibly not truly being in control of her suit spurned me to look into exactly what went into that suit anyway."_

Having come back to the scene of the incident, Danny was scrounging around for any sort of clues as to his hunch. After a bit of searching, he found it.

"Bingo!" Danny exclaimed as he pulled out a piece of circuitry from behind a trash can. "And now for my next stop..."

--------------------

_Lair of Nicolai Technus, Ghost Zone..._

As Technus, self-proclaimed Master of Technology, slept in his personal domain, a small-but-effective apartment in the Ghost Zone, a sudden knock began banging on his door. At first ignoring the sound, Technus eventually brought himself to get up and answer the door. Looking up, Technus saw Danny Phatom in all his glory.

"What?! Now we can't even sleep without you coming down on us?"

"I want answers regarding one of your little toys." Danny explained, holding out the piece of circuitry. Technus only scowled at him.

"What makes you think that I, Technus, Master of..."

"Not now, pal!" Danny cut in. He hated when Technus started to get too braggy about himself. "I want answers, not a fight. And if you won't help, I'll just have to drop a line to Walker about all the real-world contraband you've got in here. You know how he gets about that." Technus knew all too well, for Walker, being the Ghost Zone's prison warden, would look for any excuse to lock up ghosts and throw away the key.

"True." Technus groaned as he took the piece from Danny's hand and mentally read it with his technopathic powers. After a moment, his eyes lit up and he laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"This! This is the suit I, Technus, had created for your hunter friend. Enhanced from the original version, but still originally born of my own will."

"So you built the original suit?"

"Yes! It was after we had arranged for the trashing of that lab, and we...ack!" Technus gagged as Danny suddenly held him up by his shirt and lifted him to the wall.

"You mean to tell me that you MEANT for that ghost mutt to trash Axion?!" Danny shouted. He remembered that day, when a Ghost Dog, out of a desire to reclaim its favorite squeaky toy from inside the lab, broke in and trashed the place. Danny had tried to stop that dog, but he got blamed for the rampage instead. Valerie's dad was fired as a result of that incident, thus beginning her personal vendetta. It was shortly afterwards that Valerie began getting her packages from Vlad.

"Well... yes." Technus explained. "Put me down, and I'll show you." Obliging, Danny dropped Technus to the ground, where he then went over to a desk and pulled out a videocase. Giving it to Danny, Technus sneered. "I'm only doing this because I want to get back to sleep. Rest assured that when we meet again, I, Tech... huh?" Looking up, Technus realized that Danny was long gone.

"Knowing Axion, they've got security cameras hidden all over the hills and fields surrounding it for at least a mile." Danny muttered as he flew through the Ghost Zone, looking for the Portal leading to his house. "If Technus has this one, then it must be pretty incriminating."

--------------------

_Manson Residence..._

"Danny, care to tell me exactly _why_ you want to be watching a movie at this hour?" Sam grumbled as she and Danny set up a tape player to watch the recording.

"Evidence." Was all Danny said. Soon, the two of them were watching the tape intently. Eventually, a single scene began to play, one that Danny watched intently.

_"Okay, so he wants us to put that squeaky toy in the lab. Someone explain __**why**__?"_ complained Ember McLane from atop a tree. Nearby, the armored figure of Skulker was playing with one of his suit's arms. Apparently, he was still trying to remove the PDA that was fused to it (a memento from his first encounter with Danny).

_"You know Vlad's policy. Don't ask, don't tell."_ Skulker grumbled. A moment later, Technus flew into view. Back then, he looked more like Einstein in a floating lab coat than the tall, imposing figure he was now.

_"All right, it is set! I, Technus, Master of All Technology, have completed my mission!"_ he yelled.

_"Good, now hide."_ Skulker ordered as he and his partners vanished.

Danny only looked in confusion. _Skulker being in league with Vlad I understand. But Technus and Ember too? How come I never knew?_ Back on the tape, the trio was watching as they saw Danny and the Ghost Dog fly off towards the lab.

_"Well, there goes the whelp."_ Skulker observed. _"If that mutt doesn't skin him, I'll be more than happy to."_

_"Please, if I, Technus, recall, he beat you soundly." _Technus shot back. _"I believe the term is, 'you got owned'."_

_"Speak for yourself."_ Ember grunted from her post. _"You two couldn't catch a cold. No wonder that kid beat you both."_

_"And you can do better?"_ Skulker threatened. Danny remembered that he hadn't met Ember yet when this originally took place.

_"I may not have the muscle or resources that you two have, but I've got an even better weapon: emotions."_ the rocker replied as she brought her guitar to bear and strummed a few riffs. _"Pluck that kid's heartstrings, and he'll fall easily."_

_"Aw, please. You're only with us because Vlad's lousy assistant requested that you join us Enforcers."_ Skulker griped. _"Me and Nicolai have been doing Vlad's work for five years now, which is more than can be said for you."_

_"Hey, Spectra knows talent when she sees it!"_ Ember defensively complained. _"If I had a talent agent like her, perhaps things would've gone better for me a long time ago." _

Danny was now genuinely boggled. _Spectra? That sadist? Why would she be working for Vlad?_

_"Well, in any case, it's over." _Skulker observed the lab in the distance. _"That dog really trashed the place, and it looks like the whelp's being blamed for it. Serves him right for messing with the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter."_

_"You mean I, Technus, Master of All Things Electronical and Beeping!"_

_"Knock it off, all of you!"_ shouted a new voice as the figure of Penelope Spectra came into view, her body nothing more than a moving black shadow. Danny noticed that she was sounding weak, perhaps still recovering from her initial encounter with Danny and a Fenton Peeler.

_"Yes Miss Spectra."_ all three of the so-called Enforcers moaned at once.

_"Anyway, now that Axion's a bust, it's all a matter of Mr. Masters waiting for the right time to buy cheap. Also, I have new information regarding the collateral damage." _Turning to Technus, Spectra spoke. _"Tell me, Technus. How well can you make suits of armor?"_ It was just then that Spectra noticed the camera. _"Damn! You mean to tell me that you never noticed this?" _Their only response was another moan. _"Well, get in there and grab the tapes!"_ The three were quick to fly off as Spectra turned to the camera and smashed it. Soon, static filled the screen.

For a moment, Danny was speechless, leaving Sam to break the silence. "Spectra, Skulker, Technus and Ember, all of them working for Vlad. Who knew?"

"All I know is that Vlad's not gonna give me any answers on this." Danny responded. "He's still stuck in orbit."

"So, then what?"

"I'm just gonna have to find Spectra. If they said she was Vlad's assistant, she may know something. About Valerie, her armor, Axion..." Danny was then suddenly cut off by a shiver running up his spine. "Hold it!" Standing up, Danny scanned the room for any sign of ghost activity. His Ghost Sense could be vaguely directional if he didn't push it, and soon, it led him to the corner of the room, where a single small ghost, no bigger than his hand, laid on the floor. It was holding a piece of paper, which Danny took and read.

_Dear Danny. Bring the tape and the armor piece to Casper High within the hour. No police, no Walker, no GiWs, or else!_

"Speak of the devil." Danny muttered as he transformed into his Phantom form. He was just about to fly off when Sam pulled him back.

"Wait, Danny! You know as well as I do that it's a trap." With a shrug, Danny calmly responded.

"I know." With that, he flew off, leaving Sam all alone.

"Come back alive." She whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

Yes, folks. After over a year of waiting and being unable to decide how it'll work, I've finally put up chapter 5. I apologize for the long wait and I appreciate your patience.

Personally, I'm wondering if I should re-edit the first four chapters. Any opinions on that? Let me know.

* * *

It was eerily quiet when Danny touched down on Casper High's outer grounds. Undaunted, Danny walked over to the front door, where he saw a note taped on it, reading: **My old office. P.S.**

"I guess Penelope's a little nostalgic." Danny sighed as he phased through the locked door and began the slow march down the halls. As he went, Danny continued to glance around him, ready to act at the first signs of ambush. Two years of superheroics had taught him to keep his eyes and ears open for anything.

Eventually, Danny reached his destination: the guidance counselor's office. Phasing through the door, Danny immediately noticed two things as he stepped inside. One, it was pitch-black, and two, it was _very_ cold. _She's trying to throw off my ghost sense,_ Danny noted. _Bad, especially if she or Bertrand's in the next room over, waiting to pounce. Well, so long as I'm expecting trouble, I might as well invite it._

"Okay, Spectra, I'm here!" Danny shouted. "I've got your tape and the armor piece, so show yourself!"

A sinister laugh echoed throughout the dark room. "Nice to see you haven't forgotten the old cliches, Daniel." A pair of deep red eyes glared out from nearby. "But, seriously, let's talk business." Without warning, the lights in the room flashed on, giving Danny a clear view of the one and only Penelope Spectra as she sat on the desk in a very suggestive pose. Nearby, Bertrand stood at attention.

"Listen, Spectra," Danny began. "I don't know what you want, and I really have no clue why you're working for Vlad, but I'm not gonna just let you toy with my family like this." Danny held the items forward. "Take these, and let them go, 'kay?"

Spectra, however, looked disappointed. "That's it? That's your whole plan, just barter with me like a wiener?" The psycho psychologist stood up and _tsk_ed. "Honestly, Danny, I expected a little more of a fight out of you."

"Look, my life is hard enough as it is!" Danny argued back. "I've got rabid fans chasing me everywhere I go, everyday. I have the GiW constantly picking on me. Just earlier today I nearly got my head blown off by Valerie, plus-"

"Ah, yes, Valerie." Spectra grinned. "She was a real piece of work, wasn't she? All that seething rage she had for you, and no means to channel it properly. Technus may have made the suit on Vlad's request, but I..." Spectra grabbed the armor piece and held it up, admiring its design. "You'd be amazed what a bit of mind-altering circuitry can do to one's psyche."

"Well... what is that thing, anyway?"

"Just my little contribution to the suit's design," she continued. "Basically, it modifies brain-waves to increase one's inclination towards... let's say, violent tendencies. As her anger goes up, her rational thought goes down, 'til all that's left is a trigger-happy rage-a-holic." Her smile then turned sour. "I _am_ surprised she managed to go this long without losing herself completely, though. I'll have to take it up with Nicolai on-"

"You JERK!" Danny suddenly lurched forward and grabbed Spectra by the collar of her red business suit, his eyes literally glowing with anger. "You go and manipulate her feelings just so that she'll kill me?!"

"Of course." Spectra smiled, despite her discomfort. "You didn't really think someone like her _could_ actually kill you, even with her anger and her armor. I needed something that would ensure that she got the job done. And it worked, didn't it?"

Danny just threw Spectra to the floor with a fury unseen from him before. "Where's my family?" he sternly spoke. Nearby, Bertrand started to move, but Spectra gestured to him to stand down. Danny then kicked Spectra in the side, his anger growing. "I said, where are they?! Don't toy with me, Penelope!"

"Oh, but it's too much fun seeing you squirm!" she went on. "The great Danny Phantom, all strong and unbeatable, but threaten the ones he loves and he crumbles under a mountain of emotion. You humans are all alike, all mopey and... what do the kids like calling it?... Emo! It only makes you and your species more and more pathetic."

"I don't have to take this from you!"

"Well, what about them? What about the rest of the world? You've got half who know you all too well, and thus makes prime blackmail fodder. The other half, meanwhile, seeks payback for how you put them in jail or the Ghost Zone, and would love hurting you where it counts." The wicked ghost-woman was now laughing maniacally. "You can't win, Danny! Sooner or later, someone's gonna die over you, and all because everyone knows your name... _both_ of them!"

With a roar of finality, Danny grabbed Spectra and pinned her against the wall with one hand, his other charging energy for a very powerful blast. But Spectra didn't seem worried. "Go on! Hurt me!" she taunted. "Your hate, your anger, your despair... it's delicious!"

Danny suddenly stopped in his tracks as Spectra grinned. _Of course! She's feeding off of my emotions!_ he realized. With a growl, Danny released his grip and stood down. "Alright, Spectra, I'm no fool. You just want to leech off my rage, don't you?"

"Guilty as charged, Fenton," Spectra replied. "And now that you've cut off my good vibes, what're you going to do?"

"First, you and your toadie are gonna tell me where my family is. We'll see where it goes from there."

"Very well, but first... Bertrand, ATTACK!" shouted Spectra as she quickly got up and phased out through the door, leaving Danny alone with the shapeshifting sycophant. Without so much as a word, Bertrand began to reshape himself into a more combat-suitable form, going from innocent manservant to a hulking, muscular green ghost.

Danny merely chuckled at Bertrand's form. "Seen it!" The servant merely pulled himself into a crouch and flew straight for Danny with his fist extended outward. The sudden attack came faster than expected, and Danny had no defense as he got knocked all the way through the door, smashing it to pieces on impact and landing on the floor with a _thud!_

As Danny peeled himself off the floor, he scowled at Bertrand. "Honestly, Bertrand," he said, "you can do a lot better than serving a sadistic nutjob like Spectra. I mean, you're a capable ghost. Surely you could go solo if you really wanted to."

"She's the only reason I have to exist, you uppity brat," Bertrand spoke for the first time tonight. "Without her, my life is meaningless."

"So basically, you live for her and nothing else." Danny paused to evade another swipe from Bertrand's hulking fist. "Pretty sad choice of career, I must say."

"The wages of sin are death, I'll admit," Bertrand ripped a locker door from its hinges and held it in his hands. "But the hours are great." The shapeshifter began to swing the door madly at Danny, only to miss every time as he darted back and forth between swipes. It was almost as if Danny wasn't even trying.

"Too much overexertion can't be good for you, Berty," Danny taunted. "If you ask me, you should maybe cool your heels!" The teen hero emphasized his point with a pair of Frost Beams. The first hit the locker door, icing it up and making it shatter on impact. The other struck Bertrand in the feet, holding the ghost firmly onto the floor. Bertrand was forced to revert to his normal ghostly guise as Danny walked up to his opponent. "Now that I have your complete attention, how about telling me where Spectra went?"

"You'll get nothing out of me, boy."

"Alright then," Danny continued. "How about I take you over to my place and do the honors of tearing you apart... _molecule by molecule?!_" Bertrand started to sweat as Danny grinned. He was bluffing, of course, but Danny enjoyed letting ghosts know who they were dealing with.

"Fine," Bertrand said with a grumble. "She's in the gymnasium, with your parents all tied up."

"Thank you," Danny said as he pulled out a Fenton Thermos and sucked Bertrand in effortlessly.

Soon, Danny was flying down the school hallways towars the gym. As he went, though, a thought crossed his mind. _That was too easy, even for Bertrand, _he realized. _He didn't even so much as struggle._ Danny then reached the gym and walked inside. _If you ask me, I think Spectra's got..._ "What the heck?!"

The sight he saw was enough to make him cringe as memories of a similiar scenario played out in his head. There was his parents and Jazz, unconscious and all tied up to what looked like a fairly hefty bomb. Nearby, Spectra stood with a psychotic grin, her red business suit gone in favor of the black-and-green combat outfit she often sported in battle.

"What's going on here?!" Danny shouted. "What are you-"

"You can't get something for nothing, Danny," Spectra interrupted. "You wanted to play superhero, and now you're gonna realize what eventually happens to heroes." The next words out of her mouth were slow and menacing: "They... suffer..."

"Let them go."

"Not a chance, Fenton! You want them, you save them." Spectra morphed her arm into a deadly blade. "Assuming you can get by me. And, just to raise the stakes," she added as she pressed a button on the bomb, causing a loud ticking to echo throughout the gym, "you've got five minutes!" Screaming, Spectra flew towards Danny at a blinding speed, her bladed arm extended and ready to cleave him in two. Danny leaned off to one side to get out of the way, but wasn't quite able to evade the blow fully as it gashed him in the shoulder and sent him crashing to the floor.

Wincing, Danny steadied himself. The wound would heal quickly, but that wasn't the problem he had. So far, his track record with Spectra was pretty poor. In all their prior battles, she always nearly succeeded in killing him, and only luck allowed him to walk away intact, never mind victorious. As such, he was understandably nervous at fighting Spectra in a situation where she had the psychological edge. _But that's what Spectra wants,_ he reminded himself. _She'll talk and taunt, and the moment I start breaking down, she wins. If I can keep optimistic..._ Danny vanished into invisibility.

"Where're you going, Fenton?" Spectra taunted. "Don't tell me you're cowering out already, and only 30 seconds into the fight."

"Who said anything about running?" Danny shouted, making Spectra look around her in confusion. "I'm not afraid of you."

"You should be, you little twerp." Spectra growled. "Everybody in the Ghost Zone knows not to mess with me. I've known ghosts as powerful as Vortex to cower when I come walking through."

"For what, being an incessant nag? I mean, your motives aren't exactly Grade A-villain material, and this is coming from a guy who's _fought_ Vortex. Inflicting misery on people just to maintain your youth? How superficial can you get?"

Spotting movement out of the corner of her eye, Spectra turned and fired an ecto-beam up into the rafters, succeeding in only destroying a light fixture. "Where are you, you little brat!"

"I wonder what you were like when you were alive, assuming you were ever human to begin with?" Danny continued. "I'll bet you grew up in an abusive household. Dad probably beat on you a lot, maybe over something like you ruining his dreams for the future. Maybe you weren't much to look at either. I can imagine all those cute boys who wouldn't even look at you 'cause you were so ugly."

"Hey, _I'm_ the psychologist here, not you!" Spectra shouted, though there was a slight twinge of uncertanity in her voice. "If you're trying to turn the tables on me, it's not working!"

Danny smiled, for he knew that his goading was making Spectra twitchy. Still invisible, he flew from rafter to rafter, so as to keep her from drawing a bead. "So, then you died, and the first thing you go and do is play supervillain. Lovely career choice, though that still doesn't explain the psychology angle." Danny rubbed his chin in thought. "Oh, I know! You wanted to be one of those annoying pop psychologists, right? The kind that get fat off of self-help book royalties and talk shows? Surely no one would ignore you if you were famous, though I can see that it didn't pan out."

"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!!!"

"So, the mighty Penelope Spectra is really just an attention-craving little girl whining about how her life was so miserable, and you figured you'd drag everyone down into the same despair you had to put up with in life. Yeah, like I'm verrrrry frightened. You want me to get you some tissues for your sob story? Maybe give you the number for the Self-Help Club for Whiny, Naggy Ghost Hags?!"

Now enraged, Spectra began blindly firing at the rafters, though all she did was destroy more and more of the lights. Eventually, the entire gym was pitch-black. "SHOW YOURSELF!!!" she roared.

"No need to freak out, Penelope. I'm right here. In fact..." Spectra turned around to see Danny standing next to the bomb, his family vanished, "while you were busy with your little temper tantrum, I was busy getting my family to safety. All that _and_ with three minutes to spare." Spectra's face was one of bloody murder, and her body literally sizzled as the human skin and clothing vanished into black shadow. "Oh, I see. Now that I've defused your little plan, you're gonna ditch the human disguise and fight in your true form. _Very_ original. Nice to see that _you_ haven't forgotten the old cliches, either."

Spectra screamed like a banshee as she pounced into Danny and knocked him to the floor. "Have you forgotten who I am, you maggot?!" The hero tried to escape, but Spectra held him tight. "I'm Penelope Spectra! I'm all your worst nightmares rolled into one! I'm-"

"About to get it," spoke a new voice. Turning her head, Spectra found herself looking down the barrel of a plasma cannon. And there, behind the cannon, was a scowling Valerie in her suit, minus her helmet. "So _you're_ the one behind all my trouble!"

Confused, Spectra turned to Danny, who had a look of triumph on his face. "You see, before I arrived, I went back home to pick up a little something." Danny peeled off his emblem to reveal a tiny recorder, no bigger than a button, on its adhesive backing. "The Fenton-Fone, patent pending. Mom made it so that she could record ghosts talking without getting close. I just had to tune it into Valerie's suit frequency, and she would be able to hear everything from the horse's mouth. Once she heard about how you jerked her by the chain, I knew she'd come in guns blazing. As Vlad would say... checkmate!"

Spectra was speechless. She, as a psychologist, never expected to by psyched out herself. Valerie drove the cannon in closer. "You wanted me to channel my rage into something constructive, right? Well, I'm gonna do it right now!" The sadist ghost only smiled as Valerie prepared to pull the trigger... only to get the gun blasted out of her hands by Danny. "Hey! What'd you do that for?"

"She just wants you to blow her head off so that she can absorb the negative vibes," Danny explained. "All you're doing is feeding her."

"So then what?" Valerie griped. "I didn't come all this way just to let her go. She's caused enough trouble as it is!"

"Good point." Danny rubbed his chin in thought, then looked at Valerie with a sly grin. "You still have that Ectoranium rope?"

* * *

"I just want to say, Phantom, that this is very undignified," Spectra protested as Valerie finished tying up the rope. "Honestly, what happened to the ol' Thermos capture? Don't you usually do that?"

"You don't deserve that kind of mercy," Danny answered as he and Valerie stood back to admire their handiwork. They were currently outside on the football field, with Spectra tied up to her still-ticking bomb. The Ectoranium ropes that bound her were preventing her from phasing out, and they were stinging her something fierce.

"Y'know, Danny. I gotta admit, this _is_ gonna be better than blasting her," Valerie replied with a smile. "One psycho manipulative ghost-witch, all tied up and ready for delivery."

"And here's the guy who's gonna deliver," Danny finished, gesturing to himself. "Buckle up, Spectra, 'cause you're going on a little trip."

"Yeah, well, this changes nothing!" Spectra shouted. "You still can't expect to survive when everybody knows who you are! Sooner or later, your luck's gonna run out and some nutcase, human, ghost, or otherwise, is gonna hit you where it hurts most: your personal life. And I fully look forward to when it happens."

"Way ahead of you, Penelope. I've already got plans for that." Danny retreated a few yards from Spectra. "Anyway, it's time for kickoff!" Darting forward towards the bomb, Danny pulled into the most powerful kick he could muster, sending both the bomb and Spectra flying across the field, over the goal post, and into the open air. Spectra screamed as she want sailing into the distance, the bomb's timer just about to hit zero. "She's going... going... going!" A loud explosion erupted in the air, safely away from anything destroyable. "She's gone! Final score: Danny Phantom and Valerie 7, Spectra zip!"

"Serves her right," Valerie added. "That's for treating me like a puppet, you witch!" she shouted for added results. Valerie then turned around to face Danny. "Anyway, Fenton, I think it's time that we... Fenton?" Danny had vanished. "Figures." Shouldering her plasma cannon, she summoned her hoverboard and flew away. "We'll finish this later."

* * *

Again, thanks for the patience, and I apologize. Hopefully, I'll have this finished up before the end of the year.


	6. Chapter 6

"And after the dust settled and I got everyone home safely, I came here," Danny finished to Clockwork.

"So that you could ask me to undo the knowledge of your dual identity to the world," the wisened ghost replied. "You do realize that I am not a convenient reset button to all your problems."

"I know, but I need to get it all fixed up somehow." Danny stood up. "Spectra had a point. The longer my identity stays public, the more time people and ghosts have to pick on me and my family. For cripes' sake, Clockwork, at least think about that." Clockwork remained stoic as Danny continued his plea. "And if that's not enough, then I'll do anything you want to repay the favor."

Clockwork looked at Danny with a sly grin. "Anything...?"

"Anything," Danny reiterated. "I... I only want to protect the people I care about."

Clockwork sighed. "Such selfless nobility..." He rubbed his chin in thought, then looked up. "Very well then. Come tomorrow morning, every human and ghost on Earth will forget how Phantom and Fenton are one."

Danny blinked in surprise. "You're gonna do it? I thought..."

"Just because I know all doesn't mean I'm easily convinced, but I know you have only the best of intentions." Clockwork chuckled. "As to the favor, I already know what it will be, but that can wait for the time being." He was just about to raise his staff when he paused. "I'm assuming you want your friends and family to retain their knowledge?"

"You know me too well, Clockwork." Danny smiled.

"Of course I do." Clockwork raised his staff. "DEUS EX MACHINA!!!" A second later, everything went white...

* * *

_Morning..._

As the morning sunlight shone through Danny's room, the teen squirmed under the covers with a groan, apparently still woozy from last night. After a few seconds, though, Danny sat up in realization. Quickly phasing through the blankets, Danny bounded off the bed and ran to the window.

Down below, Paulina was walking past the FentonWorks building. "You there! Paulina!" shouted Danny to the Latino bombshell from his room. "What day is it?"

"Saturday," she answered

"Alright, then," Danny paused for a second, then smiled. "How 'bout a date with me?"

"Forget it, loser! You're no Danny Phantom!" Paulina snootily turned and walked away. Danny, however, didn't notice as he began prancing over to his dresser and grabbed his clothes. A second later, he was fully dressed and was running down the stairs to the kitchen, where his parents and Jazz were enjoying some breakfast.

"Gooood morning, everybody!" Danny uncharacteristically shouted, nearly causing Jack to choke on his Fudgy Flakes. "Beautiful, beautiful day, isn't it? Well, I don't know about you, but I can't think of anything better to do but take a nice, brisk walk around town." Danny quickly grabbed a jacket, hugged Jack as he gagged on his cereal, and kissed Maddie goodbye. "I'll grab breakfast at Nasty Burger. See you later!" Danny ran out the door, leaving his family in a daze.

"What... just happened?" Maddie asked in confusion. "Did one of those ghosts pound him too hard last night?"

"Trust me, Mom." Jazz put a hand on her mother's shoulder. "Being a superhero's tough, both physically and mentally." The sound of Jack's gagging caught her attention. "Excuse me." Maddie only smiled at her son's exuberence as Jazz proceeded to do the Heimlich on her father.

* * *

As the locals of Amity Park trudged along the sidewalk, Danny took the time to greet them. "Good morning!" he waved

"Morning," came the apathetic reply of Mr. Lancer as he gazed through the window of the beauty salon, where several wigs were on display.

Danny then saw the GiW agents as they stood outside a coffee shop, sipping espressos. "Hey there!" he called out.

"Hi," they uncaringly replied. To them, Danny Fenton was none of their concern.

Finally, Danny found the one person he wanted to see most. "Dash, my man!" he called out.

"Whaddya want, Fentweeb?" came Dash's reply.

"I just wanna know something..." Danny walked up to Dash and stood as tall as he could. "Are we cool?"

Ten seconds later, Danny was hanging on a streetpost by his underwear, with Dash dusting off his hands. "Yeah, I'm cool, but you'll never be." Laughing, Dash walked down the street.

"Ahhh... the status quo." Danny sighed in semi-relief as he discreetly phased himself off his perch. After a moment to fix his briefs, Danny continued on his merry way. _Yeah, being normal isn't always pleasent,_ he told himself, _but when you're juggling a secret identity, you become grateful for it._

However, there was still one other thing he wanted to do...

* * *

Valerie slept soundly in her bed. Though she looked peaceful, her mind was filled with turmoil over the recent events. As such, she was unaware of Danny phasing into the room. "Hey, Val," Danny whispered as Valerie turned her head.

"Hey, Danny," she replied. What do you want?"

"I just want to talk... about everything." The next hour saw Danny relaying his story to Valerie. As the ghost hunter listened silently, Danny told about his powers, the heroics, Vlad, and anything else that he felt she needed to know. Danny even told the sad tale of Dani, the young clone whom Valerie had befriended not too long ago, as a means of proving his point. Eventually, the hero finished up and looked at Valerie, half-expecting her to blow his head off.

"So, you were puny Fenton all along." Valerie chuckled. "Who knew?"

"It's actually kinda obvious when you think about it," Danny explained. "But given all you've come to blame me for over the past two years, I just want to know one thing."

"Yeah?"

"Are you... still angry at me?" Danny spoke calmly. "Because if you are, then feel free to fire away."

"Angry? Maybe for being woken up like this, yes." Valerie grunted. "But you did save the world from a big asteroid, and I guess I do owe you for stopping me from doing something I'd regret. All in all, I'd say we're about even now."

"So... you're not still sore about Axion?"

"Ehh... I've moved on from it. But don't think you're off the hook, pal," she said with a smirk. "That doesn't mean I have to like you as a friend."

"Does that mean you won't be blasting me everywhere I go anymore?"

"Not unless provoked."

"Sounds good." Danny shrugged as he prepared to leave. "Of course, you do realize I'm the top ghost hunter in this town."

"Yeah, well, we'll see how long that lasts," Valerie teased as she went back to sleep, prompting Danny to leave as well. As Valerie drifted off, a thought crossed her mind. _He's not that bad, really... but someone needs to keep him hopping._

* * *

And so it was on the first night of the Phantom Phestival that Danny stood among friends and family, all of them being the only people who needed to know about his identity. There was Maddie, with her motherly wisdom and feminine charm. Jack, the bumbling but well-meaning father. Jazz, brainy yet witty. Tucker, the loyal friend. Valerie, the former enemy-turned-friendly rival.

And there, standing arm-in-arm with himself, was Sam. The one person who never lost faith in Danny, and who he never lost faith in either. She was always there for him, watching his back, keeping him focused, giving him hope. If there was one thing Danny cherished even more than his identity, it was her.

Soon, it was 9:00, and it was time for the metahuman of the decade to make his appearence. Off in a secluded area of the fairgrounds, out of everyone's sight, Danny, Sam, and Tucker were gearing up to begin. "The fireworks are set and everything, pal," Tucker reported. "They're all waiting."

"Well, if they all want a show, I'll be happy to oblige." Danny chuckled. He was about to transform when Sam suddenly tugged his arm. "What? What is-oomph!" Danny choked as Sam pulled him into a kiss, one that Danny was only too happy to return.

Nearby, Tucker only made gagging noises. "Get a room, you two lovebirds."

"WE'RE NOT..." the two young lovers shouted out of habit, but quickly stopped when they realized the joke. The two only laughed at their folly, then turned towards the stage.

"Don't disappoint," Sam quietly spoke. "'cause if you do..."

"I never do." Danny winked. Then, with a single mental command, black hair turned white, casual ware gave way to black jumpsuit, blue eyes turned green, and geeky adolescence transformed to heroic confidence.

Danny Phantom was here, now and forever.

* * *

And back in his tower, Clockwork smiled. "Ahh, the status quo," he sighed as he watched Danny show off in front of the festival-goers on his monitor. Clockwork grimly frowned as he stole another glance at the black thermos on the table nearby, fighting back a shudder as an unearthly roar sounded from it.

With a nod, Clockwork merely walked out of the room and locked it shut.

_**IT'S OVER!!!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**IT'S NOT YET OVER!!!**_

_Meanwhile..._

In the vast landscapes of Wisconsin, one lone figure strode across the land, limping and moaning with every step. With severe burns plastered all over himself, he was literally smoking. Given the fact that his hair style gave the appearence of horns, one would almost think that it was the devil himself.

In a sense, it was pretty darn close. As he went, various curses and swears escaped his lips, his mind was lost in a haze. He had thought he was quite the clever fiend, having nearly blackmailed the world into making him its king. But he got too greedy for power, and in his greed, he lost control of the situation. And now, he was lucky to still be alive. Fortunately, he had enough foresight to make some allies who seemed to agree with his own egostistical views on life. At least _they_ were still loyal.

Approaching the large castle on the hill, he walked straight through the main door without even opening it, instead just phasing through. As he continued through the main hall, several ghosts looked up and saw him. He paid them no mind as he climbed up the stairs and entered the door to his main study room, where the voluptuous Miss Spectra stood at attention, clipboard in hand.

"Nice to see you're back again, Mr. Masters," Spectra cheerily greeted, then frowned upon seeing Vlad's smoking frame. "Planetary re-entry didn't go so well?"

"Shut up and crank the AC!" Vlad Plasmius barked as he sat down upon his favorite chair. "Take a memo. I want you to get the word out to every ghost, specter, wraith, wight, ghoul, geist, shade, coven and any other ectoplasmic entity you can find. Get a thesaurus or something if you must, just make sure you tell them all!"

"Tell what, sir?"

"Tell them that I'm hiring anyone in the Ghost Zone who shares my beliefs that the human race needs a good kick off its high-horse!" Vlad explained. "They think that, just because they have a pulse, they can push us around. Well, I may be human, but I speak for all ghosts when I say that this world needs a serious overhaul."

"Of course, sir," Spectra replied in casual agreement.

"I tried to be courteous and pleasant before, but now the line is drawn," Vlad continued. "No one's gonna stop me, not the UN or the GiW and _especially_ not Danny Phantom! If he's gonna stick up for the puny people instead of join the winning side, then it's his funeral. I'm through giving quarter for a little punk who's too ignorant to ask for it."

"My thoughts exactly." Spectra smiled as she finished writing on her clipboard. She loved the thought of there being more pain and misery in the world. "I'll send out word at once."

"You do that." Vlad grinned evilly, leaving Spectra to walk out the front door. Licking his lips in anticipation, Vlad reclined in his chair and began to visualize himself standing astride the globe. Getting back his funds and identity was no problem for him, for Vlad already had a plan that would clear his name. The real challenge, though, was finding the right people, human, ghost, or otherwise, who would help bring him to glory. Most importantly, Danny Phantom had to go, since he was an obstacle that couldn't be swayed by sweet talk. "Oh yes... he'll get his soon," Vlad growled at the thought of demoralizing Danny to the point where he wouldn't be for this or any other world. Soon, that growling turned to maniacal laughter.

So deep was he in his laughing that Vlad leaned back a little too far in his chair, and wound up falling backwards onto the floor, chair and all. If anyone had been in the room, it would have been comical to see his evil tirade cut off like this.

"Son of a sugar-cookie!" Vlad grumbled as he picked himself up off the floor and reset his chair. Soon, he was laughing again, in a maniacal cackle that echoed throughout his castle and into the hills of Wisconsin.

_**IT'S JUST BEGINNING!!!**_

_**

* * *

**_

Well, I've finally closed the book on this story. Thanks to everybody who was patient enough to wait all this time.


End file.
